STATUS
IN CONSTRUCTION
CLIENT
Generali Real Estate
TYPOLOGY
Work
SIZE M2/FT2
73,000 / 785,765
SHARE
CityLife is one of the largest redevelopment projects in Europe, covering an area of 366,000 square metres. Located in a prestigious area of Milan, only a short distance from the Duomo, CityLife currently consists of three iconic towers surrounded by a green public realm. While an international design competition asked for a new tower on the site, BIG took the opportunity to explore a different typology for the city.
Currently under construction, BIG’s design envisions two individual buildings connected by a 140-metre-long hanging roof – unified by a series of performative vertical elements – that forms a generous shaded public realm as the entrance to CityLife: The Portico, also known as CityWave. Rather than competing with the existing context, BIG’s design completes it.
THE FIERA AXIS
— CityLife is located on the former site of Fiera Milano. The fair's primary axis, called Domodossola Axis, was the main pedestrian walkway to the pavilions dividing the site diagonally between Largo Domodossola and Piazza Amendola. This axis is maintained in the CityLife masterplan as a visual connection and further enhanced by the underground metro. Our site acts as an entryway to the axis, split in two parts.
TWIN BUILDINGS & AXIS
— Twin buildings were often used in Milan in the 20th century to celebrate the axis as an urban demarcation of entryways. Anchoring both sides of the street, the twin buildings create a sense of grandeur to the axis and are commonly found throughout history, from the Spanish Walla Gates in the 1500s to post-war icons such as the twin buildings of via Turati.
CityLife is located on the former site of Fiera Milano. The fair’s primary axis, called Domodossola Axis, was the main pedestrian walkway to the pavilions, dividing the site diagonally between Largo Domodossola and Piazza Amendola. This axis is maintained in the CityLife masterplan as a visual connection and further enhanced by the underground metro. BIG’s site acts as an entryway to the axis, split in two parts.
Twin buildings were often used in Milan in the 20th century to celebrate the axis as an urban demarcation of entryways. Anchoring both sides of the street, the twin buildings create a sense of grandeur to the axis and are commonly found throughout history, from the gates of the Spanish city walls in the 1500s to post-war icons such as the twin buildings of via Turati.
CityWave is a 73,000-square-metre development with workspace and public amenities, designed on the last two remaining plots of the CityLife masterplan in Milan. The masterplan, designed by Studio Libeskind in conjunction with Zaha Hadid Architects and Arata Isozaki & Associates, consists of three iconic towers surrounded by a green public realm and residential neighbourhoods.
Site
— The site of the competition was comprised of two distinct plots facing each other. The Domodossola axis separates and restricts the buildable area for both plots at the street level while below ground, the tunnel for the Line 5 metro demarcates the two plots.
Program
— CityWave includes offices, a hotel, a podium with shared amenities and panoramic terraces with a bar and restaurant. The total area of the brief could fit within a complete extrusion of ten floors. BIG proposed splitting the main components of the program to ensure the most efficient vertical circulation and maximize amenities on the ground plane. Both plots are activated at their base, with amenities spilling onto the public space at the center of the axis.
Courtyard
— Introducing courtyards brings daylight and natural ventilation into the building, as well as astonishing views over the private gardens. With a depth of 18 m, the office floorplates are extremely efficient, allowing for flexible layouts. The hotel floorplates have a depth of 9 m for efficient room layouts with open corridors facing an atrium filled with lush greenery.
Relationship to the axis
— To unify the two irregularly shaped plots, we generate two simple curves formed by pure circles on each side: one created by the end of the axis and the other by the Piazza Tre Torri, the epicenter of the site. The geometry of the roof is generated as a wedge of a sphere. The resulting massing reads as one single gesture. The profile of the roof emphasizes the axis by lifting up the edges and lowering towards the center. With this move, we unite the two buildings in one single form. The two buildings reach 105 and 53 m respectively at their highest points.
Terraces
— A portion of the offices' closed courtyard is removed in order to create an outdoor terrace, while another portion is reinstated to the hotel's open courtyard to enclose the atrium. The result is two extraordinary outdoor spaces: an office terrace connected to all the amenities, and a pool for the hotel overlooking the city, the park and the three towers.
Portico
— CityWave is conceived as one entity formed by three parts: the two buildings, the covered public realm, all unified by a colonnade. This represents and pays homage to the classic typology of the portico as an element that connects, gives shade and protects, echoing the historic grand monasteries or abbeys of Italy. At the central axis, removing the existing concrete ramps and relocating the taxi drop-off stations allows a new park entrance to form at the heart of the public realm.
"Throughout the urban history of Milan, an urban axis is symbolized by a set of twin buildings and a gate. The Portico is an evolution of that typology creating both a gateway to CityLife and a significant destination for Milan."
CityWave blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, extending the interior to the exterior and ensuring year-round outdoor living. The characteristic long portico structure is clad entirely in photovoltaic tiles, forming one of the largest rooftop solar installations in Europe.
Two courtyards allow employees to enjoy a place of respite during the workday, while the large, central, covered public realm becomes a gift to the city of Milan.
“With CityLife, we set ourselves an ambitious goal that we believe we have achieved, that of regenerating and upgrading the area of the Milan Trade Fair, which we have fully restored to the city in a completely renewed form that can be used by everyone. The project of the BIG studio completes the area with a solution that is in line with our values and objectives, a project that we embraced right from the start."
CityWave
CityWave
Each floor of the building has at least 3 metre-high ceilings, enabling natural light to enter through a continuous, transparent and luminous façade that will look out onto both the city and two large private courtyards.
Under the roofs, a cascading ring of amenities allows for interconnected covered outdoor areas and extends into the rooftop bar overlooking the Alps and Monte Rosa mountain ranges.
In parallel with the construction of the new residential lot on Via Spinola, the new project represents the completion of CityLife, which will become one of Europe’s major business districts, with a mix of public and private functions including residences, offices, shops and green areas.
Expected to open in 2026, the new neighbourhood is considered one of the main “new urban centres” of Milan and a highly regarded example of urban renewal and regeneration in Italy.
Andreas Klok Pedersen Andy Young Ania Agnieszka Podlaszewska Beatrice Melli Bjarke Ingels Carmen Simone Chris Falla Claire Thomas Spiller Filip Radu Giulia Frittoli Giulio Rigoni Gualtiero Rulli Ioannis Gio Jakob Freek Engstrom Lauren Connell Falla Lorenzo Boddi Marco Antonio Maycotte Marina Cogliani Matilde Tavanti Michela Cardia Ming Cheong Ryohei Koike Solveig Lola Audrey Jappy Ulla Hornsyld Youngjin Jun Andrew McClements Andy Coward Anna Pazurek Bjarke Koch-Ørvad Camille Breuil Carl Pettersson Carmen Salas Ruiz Daniel Ferrara Bilesky Duncan Horswill Elisabetta Costa Evan Cheng Florencia Kratsman Francesca Portesine Gianmarco Cannizzo Jason Chee Han Chia Jonathan Russell Kamila Abbiazova Liliana Prevedello Luca Vincenzo Puzzoni Maayan Raviv Maria de Salvador Arnaiz Marjan Mostavi Miles Treacy Nefeli Stamatari Parinaz Kadkhodayi-Kholghi Pernille Kinch Andersen Pierre-Edouard Joseph Joiris de Caussin Sabina Blasiotti Sijia Zhong Siqi Emily Chen Timo Harboe Nielsen Vincent Katienin Konate Yueying Wan Zuzanna Hanna Sliwinska
COLLABORATORS
Atelier Verticale
Manens
Holzner Bertagnolli
Faces
Castiglioni
Focchi
GAD
AGEP
